Published: August 02, 2006 12:31 am   

Laura Bush to visit Fairmont Aug. 16

First lady’s appearance on behalf of Wakim same night Mollohan speaks at Chamber dinner

By John Veasey
TIMES WEST VIRGINIAN (FAIRMONT, W.V.)

FAIRMONT, W.V. —It’s now official.

First lady Laura Bush is coming to Fairmont.

She will appear at a political fund-raiser for 1st District Republican congressional candidate Chris Wakim on Aug. 16, at the Shaw House on Morgantown Ave.

While her appearance has been strongly rumored, it was not verified until Tuesday when Mike Shaw, a Point Pleasant attorney and owner of the home once the property of the late Thelma Shaw, prominent Fairmont activist, confirmed Mrs. Bush’s appearance. He is the great nephew to Thelma Shaw.

By great coincidence, the appearance of the first lady coincides with the annual Marion County Chamber of Commerce dinner at the Falcon Center at Fairmont State. Rep. Alan Mollohan, incumbent 1st District congressman, will be the guest speaker for that occasion.

Shaw said that a reception and fund-raiser in Fairmont for Wakim “had been in the works for a couple of months.”

He explained that “we had our fund-raiser scheduled, and Washington called and said the first lady would like to join us so we changed the date to accommodate her schedule.”

He said that hours for the Bush-Wakim event would be from 5-7 p.m. Tickets will be $100 a person.

When told that the Republican event was being held on the same night at Mollohan’s appearance, Shaw acted very surprised and said he had no idea that the congressman would be speaking here that night.

“I didn’t even know he was going to be there,” Shaw said in a telephone interview from Point Pleasant. “We were and are doing our own thing,” the staunch Republican said.

He said he did not know, but “would assume she would be flying into the Harrion-Marion Regional Airport in Bridgeport.”

Shaw said the doors will be shut at 4:30 p.m. for security reasons. “Other than that, they (security) play their cards pretty close to their vest.”

A turnout of some 250 people is anticipated, Shaw said.

“There will be some tents placed outside,” he added. “It’s a big house, but still people will be shoulder to shoulder. There will be some large tents outside.”

An attempt to confirm Mrs. Bush’s appearance earlier in the day by calling the White House was unsuccessful. Tara Donahue, her deputy secretary, told the Times West Virginian that “Mrs. Bush’s office does not have anything to announce,” but said the newspaper would be notified when it did.

President Bush visited the Mountain State last week, taking part in a fund-raiser for Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito in Charleston.

The Shaw Home, which belonged to Fairmont State for a brief period, is included on the National Register of Historic Places.



John Veasey writes for the Times West Virginian in Fairmont, W.Va.